Design for Kelvingrove Park

Burrell Collection Photo Library

Sir Joseph Paxton's original design for the West End Park (now known as Kelvingrove Park), dated 20 July 1854.

Glasgow's Town Council bought land in 1852 to lay out a second park for the city, providing the West End with its equivalent of Glasgow Green. Sir Joseph Paxton was commissioned to design the new park and he presented this proposal in 1854. However, landscaping work had already begun in 1853 and many of the features he proposed were not built. In fact, the design of the park owes much more to Charles Wilson (the architect who designed Park Circus) and Thomas Kyle (the surveyor for the Kelvingrove Park project).

Reference: U-263

Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums